Natasha Ofili
Actress, Writer, Filmmaker, and Producer
she/her
For Natasha Ofili, being an artist, writer, and storyteller started at a young age, but she did not realize this passion would bloom later in her life. Growing up as the only deaf child in her family meant being solitary in her world of imagination and observation. Ofili loved going to the library and reading stories to ignite her imagination. Stories and music are a way for her to tap into her inner emotions and accept how she sees the world. She loves and believes in the power of storytelling to invoke feelings of human connection, openness, and learning, driving her passion for acting, writing, and filmmaking.
As a rising actress, Ofili was recognized for her breakout role as Principal Karen Vaughn in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician with Oprah Daily singling her out as “a host of newcomers that manage to steal the screen” from the show’s seasoned actors. Ofili achieved historical milestones by winning the 2024 Game Accessibility Conference award for Best Representation for her portrayal of Hailey Cooper, the first Black Deaf playable character in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game. She also played Hailey in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game. In collaboration with Coldplay, Pulse Films, and Director Ben Mor, Ofili developed the story and creative direction for the music video for Coldplay’s first single of their new album, feelslikeimfallinginlove, as the Creative Director and lead performer.
Ofili’s other credits include Amazon Originals’ animated series Undone, where she is the first Black Deaf animated character. A Writers Guild of America West (WGA) member, she was a staff writer on the Starz/Warner Brothers’ Untitled Show, produced by Ava DuVernay’s production company ARRAY. Founder of NIOVISION Productions, she wrote, acted, produced, and directed her award-winning short film The Multi which was accepted by fourteen film festivals, including several BAFTA, Oscars, and Canadian Screen qualifiers. In the theater world, Ofili wrote her first play, The Window, workshopped by NIOVISION, WACO Theatre (founded by Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson), and Deaf West Theatre. A natural-born advocate whenever she is on set, in the writer’s room, or working as a consultant, Ofili advocates for accessibility, authentic representation, and opportunities for the Deaf and Disabled community, especially Black and BIPOC deaf youth.